LCSC receives grant to again host AmeriCorps program

LEWISTON, Idaho – Thanks to a state grant through Serve Idaho, the Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the Lewis-Clark Service Corps’ AmeriCorps program will again be hosted through Lewis-Clark State College after a two-year absence.
LCSC served as a host to the program for 19 years until federal funding for the program was eliminated. College officials learned in late August the program would receive a $236,975 grant for the first of three years from Serve Idaho, and officials have been busy with recruiting efforts for both sites and volunteers.
The program places individuals age 17 and older at host public or alternative schools in grades K-12 throughout northern and north central Idaho, where they help economically disadvantaged students, students with special or exceptional needs, or underachieving students. The AmeriCorps members tutor and mentor these students to help them be successful in school.
AmeriCorps applications are currently being accepted for the 2016-17 program year, which started on Oct. 1 and runs through Aug. 31. Because of the quick turnaround in time from the grant notification to get the program started, applications will be accepted through mid-October.
LCSC has openings for 10 full-time, 12 part-time, and six minimum-time members with a focus on tutoring math and literacy.
Individuals selected to be in the program receive a living allowance, an educational award and possibly health insurance, depending on whether they are full or part time.
To be eligible, individuals must apply to be accepted into the AmeriCorps program and must meet the following requirements: be 17 years of age or older, have a high school diploma or GED, be a U.S. citizen or legal resident, and pass an FBI background check. The application can be found at https://my.americorps.gov.
To be considered full-time, an individual must complete a minimum of 1,700 hours, while part time is 900 hours. All in the program must go through an orientation, attend a two-day conference in February, and participate in both monthly and on-going training. They also must take part in community service projects, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, IdahoPlay, and AmeriCorps Week.
A full-time living allowance is $12,530 for the year term as well as an educational award of $5,775. They may also elect to receive health insurance. A part-time living allowance is $5,000 along with a $2,887 education award. Health insurance is not available for part-time members.
The educational award allows the individual to take college courses, pay student loans, or in some instances buy the technology (computers and printers) to take online classes, or pay past student loans. Participants have up to seven years to use the educational award, and for those aged 55 and over, the educational award can be passed to their child, foster child, or grandchildren.
Schools that participate in the program are required to help with the funding and pay a match of $7,300 for full-time members and $4,050 for part-time members.
The previous AmeriCorps program hosted at LCSC went into southern Idaho as well as Washington, but with the new state grant, program hosts are limited to Idaho. Applicants, however, can be from anywhere as long as they meet the qualifications.
Charlette Kremer, who was the previous Lewis-Clark Service Corps director, played an instrumental role in obtaining the grant in her current positions of Director of the Office of Grants & Contracts at LCSC. With her in that role, LCSC hired Rebecca Fromdahl as the new Service Corps director and brought back Barb Syska in her role as Technical Records Specialist. Syska was working at the LCSC Center for Arts & History between her stints with the program.
“We are thrilled to have the AmeriCorps grant return to LCSC and are fortunate to have both Rebecca and Barb as staff support., said Kathy Martin, Dean for Community Programs at LCSC. “This provides a great collaboration to serve K-12 schools while providing civic engagement opportunities to students.”
This is Fromdahl’s second round at LCSC. A graduate of the University of Idaho, she was an AmeriCorps volunteer during 2004-06 at LCSC, and then went to work in the International Programs office at the college where she supervised AmeriCorps members. In 2013, she left LC to work in admissions and recruiting for the International Programs office at Washington State University, a position she held until accepting the new LC position.
Both the Grants & Contracts office and the Community Programs office, which oversees the program at LCSC, contributed office space and equipment for Fromdahl and Syska in addition to funding. AmeriCorps offices are located in the Sam Glenn Complex, rooms 201 and 202.
For more information on the AmeriCorps Program hosted by LCSC, call 208 792-2662 or visit their offices from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday-Friday.